A Simple Beginning
by Midget
Summary: Yamato and Taichi hang out together like usual. Only this time, new feelings are changing the way they think of each other. The pairing in this is Taito, Taichi x Yamato.


A Simple Beginning  
  
Summary: Yamato and Taichi hang out together like usual. Only this time, new feelings are changing the way they think of each other.  
  
Warning: This is Taito.  
  
Author's Note: Recently revised, this is the first time I've posted this story to Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or the characters named within.  
  
Taichi and Yamato were sitting in the cafe near their school, enjoying a snack. The others had just left a few minutes earlier. This had become a custom over the last two years since the digiworld. Everyone would gather three or four times a week at the cafe to eat after they were finished with whatever activities they were doing. For Taichi it was soccer practice. Sora had tennis and Koushiro had computer club. Jyou was usually busy studying, but he'd set aside at least half an hour for these visits. Now that Mimi had moved to America they didn't see her very often, but she still came to visit every now and then. Yamato was trying to start a band, so he spent a lot of his time practicing. Their activities took up a lot of their time, but they usually spent about an hour together before they had to go home.  
  
"Hey, Yamato," Taichi said, finishing the last of his drink. "Do you want to come over to my house for awhile? My parents aren't going to be home for a few hours so we'll be alone."  
  
"Sure, but I've got to be home by seven," he replied as amiably as he could.  
  
"Great! Lets go," Taichi exclaimed, grabbing his arm and pulling him out the door.  
  
"Hey, wait a sec," Yamato protested, surprised. "I wasn't finished with my drink!"  
  
Taichi just tossed him a grin over his shoulder, still dragging him along. Yamato gave up and with a resigned sigh he sped up to keep pace. It only took them ten minutes to get there, so they didn't talk on the way.  
  
"Did ..huff... we have ..huff... to go ..huff... so fast," Yamato demanded breathlessly when they reached Taichi's door.  
  
"Man, you're out of shape," Taichi observed teasingly as he opened the door and ushered him inside. "You need to work out more."  
  
"That's easy for you to say, Mr. Soccer Star," Yamato retorted irritably.  
  
Grinning irrepressibly, Taichi walked over to the couch. Sitting down, he patted the space next to him invitingly. Rolling his eyes, Yamato walked over. Smirking, he sat on the other couch. It was Taichi's turn to roll his eyes.  
  
"Do you always have to be defiant?" Taichi asked dryly.  
  
"Yep," Yamato replied calmly, settling himself comfortably.  
  
Taichi glared at him, but the stubborn blonde didn't even flinch.  
  
Sighing, he grudgingly walked over and sat beside Yamato. "Happy now," he muttered in an annoyed tone, picking up the TV remote.  
  
Yamato let his smug smile answer the question. Taichi began flipping through the channels. He found nothing but soap operas and the news. So he decided to check out what was on the news.  
  
"The President of the United States and his wife announced earlier that they will be getting a divorce. This comes as no surprise after the recent scandal. Rumor has it that they may not be the only famous couple who are getting divor..." Click.  
  
Taichi stood up, frowning. He'd been hoping to have a chance to relax with Yamato, but with nothing on there wasn't any way to keep him there. "Man, you'd think they'd find something else to talk about," he grumbled disgustedly. "Or put a movie on in its place."  
  
"I know what you mean," Yamato agreed, standing up. "Stuff like that is always on the news because its the kind of stuff that gets a lot of viewers. I don't know why but whatever."  
  
For a moment there was silence. They looked at each other, neither able to understand the emotions roiling around inside of them. Something seemed to draw them closer to each other. Taichi took a hesitant step forward and raised his hand toward Yamato's face. Yamato's eyes widened as he leaned forward slowly, as if preparing to take a step toward him. Then suddenly the sound of a door opening nearby broke the tense moment and both turned toward it.  
  
"Oh, hey Yamato," Hikari said cheerfully, smiling at them from her doorway. "When did you get here?"  
  
"A few minutes ago," Yamato mumbled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I was just about to leave. I only stopped in for a minute."  
  
"Are you sure," Hikari asked sweetly, walking over to them. "We'd love to have you over for dinner. Isn't that right, Taichi?"  
  
"Yeah, but he has to be home by seven," Taichi explained, placing an arm around her shoulders when she came to his side. "We're not eating until seven thirty."  
  
"Well, can he stay for a little while?" Hikari asked hopefully.  
  
Yamato rubbed her hair affectionately. "Sorry, kid, but I've got to go fix dinner," he replied ruefully. "Maybe some other time."  
  
"Okay," Hikari chirped brightly, smiling happily.  
  
"I'm going to walk Yamato home," Tai announced, pulling away from his sister. "I'll be back in a minute, okay?"  
  
"See you tomorrow, Yamato," Hikari called sweetly as they walked out.  
  
"See you tomorrow," Yamato replied, smiling charmingly. He winked at her, eliciting a giggle before she closed the door.  
  
Taichi and Yamato walked down stairs silently. Unknown to them, Hikari was peering at them from the railing outside her door. She smiled wistfully, but there was a troubled expression in her eyes. Taichi had been acting strange lately. It was almost as if he were preoccupied by something, but she didn't know what it could be. Shrugging, she went inside to get herself a drink.  
  
"Since we don't have to be home just yet why don't we take a walk through the park," Taichi suggested, hoping for another chance. He wasn't going to give up just yet.  
  
Yamato looked at him, then shrugged. "Why not?" he answered absently.  
  
They walked silently through the park, wandering along the main pathway. Spotting what looked like a pretty abandoned path, Taichi grabbed Yamato's arm. "Lets go down this path," he said, pulling Yamato after him.  
  
"Do I have a choice?" Yamato asked wryly, allowing himself to be pulled along.  
  
"Do you want one?" Taichi retorted, trying to hide the sudden nervousness he felt.  
  
"I'm not really sure," Yamato replied with a shrug. He figured it would be best to be honest. "For this, I don't guess so. For other times..."  
  
"We'll worry about those later," Taichi dismissed, beaming happily. He slowed down, matching his speed with Yamato's.  
  
The silence between them was companionable as they continued down the path. Taichi was trying to figure out a way to steal a kiss from Yamato. Yamato was trying to figure out a way to tell if Taichi had been going to kiss him in his apartment. He didn't want Taichi to know that's what he thought, just in case that hadn't been what he'd intended.  
  
Finally they wandered back to the main area. It was almost completely deserted now. Without speaking they automatically headed for the apartments. Neither noticed that Taichi still gripped Yamato's wrist lightly. Nor did they notice that his hand was curved so that it looked like they were kind of holding hands.  
  
Yamato stopped outside of the building, Taichi automatically stopping with him. He looked up at his apartment and noticed that the light was still off. Compared to the other apartments, which all had their lights on, his looked cold and lonely. Just the way he felt when he went inside. A shiver ran through him at the thought.  
  
Taichi automatically slid his hand lower, gently tightening his hand around Yamato's in a gesture of comfort. Yamato looked at him in surprise and their eyes locked for a moment.  
  
"Thanks, Taichi," Yamato whispered gruffly.  
  
Taichi felt his heart pause before beginning to beat faster. The way he said his name .... and the way his eyes lit up with that smile! He tried to hide the pleasant shiver that ran through him.  
  
"So ... I'll see you tomorrow," Taichi said carefully.  
  
"For dinner at my place, right?" Yamato asked, trying to pull his hand away. He flushed slightly when Taichi held on.  
  
"If there's any food in there," Taichi teased, trying to force himself to let Yamato's hand go. He didn't really want to, but he didn't want to freak Yamato out. So he reluctantly released him, forcing himself to smile. "I'll see you later."  
  
"See ya," Yamato called softly, turning to go. He hunched his shoulders as he walked toward his empty apartment, feeling a little isolated.  
  
Taichi watched him go, frowning worriedly. Yamato looked like he needed a hug or something. He wished that he could just walk over to him and wrap his arms around him. Sometimes all he wanted to do was take Yamato into his arms and hold on tight. Yamato belonged in his arms and that's where he was going to stay.  
  
Lost in his thoughts, Taichi went directly to his room when he got back. He started playing his current favorite video game, Mario World. Usually he lost himself in the game for hours at a time, but tonight it just seemed boring. After he'd die for the fifth time in half an hour he shut it off.  
  
Taichi lay down, trying to force his mind to go blank. It didn't work, so he gave up and tried to recall the exact expression on Yamato's face when he'd smiled at him. Half an hour later his mother went to check on him. He was sound asleep, a happy smile on his face. She decided not to wake him for dinner.  
  
Yamato sat in the middle of his bed, leaning back against the headboard. His eyes were closed and there was a slight smile on his face. This was the time he reserved for thinking. Right before bed, so that he could go to sleep with good memories. When he was young he'd learned the trick to help keep the nightmares at bay.  
  
Usually he would look back over his fondest memories. Memories of his brother Takeru and him, or times spent with his friends. But tonight his thoughts centered on a certain goggle-wearing Chosen leader and the kiss. Or what might have been a kiss, if Hikari hadn't walked out of her room just then.  
  
Sighing, he let the dreamy smile he fought so hard during the day steal across his face. He knew that if he ever let others see that smile they would tease him. Yamato Ishida, acting all mushy? Was he sick?  
  
With an effort Yamato pushed those thoughts away. He focused on the warmth of Taichi's hand in his and the way Taichi had seemed to cling to his hand, just a little. His body slumped as he drifted off to sleep with the image of a smiling Taichi in his head.  
  
Taichi woke up and looked around, wondering why it was so dark. A glance at his clock showed that it was only midnight. He blinked owlishly in amazement, but the numbers didn't change.  
  
His stomach rumbled, causing him to look down. Another rumble convinced him that he needed to get up. Yawning, he stretched as he stood up. Taichi drug his feet as he shuffled into the kitchen. He found the plate of food his mother had left him and slipped it into the microwave. Then he got himself a tall glass of milk and set it on the coffee table in front of the couches. A minute later his food was done. Taichi settled himself comfortably and tore into his food with relish.  
  
It only took him a few minutes to finish his meal. He drank the last gulp of milk as he took his dishes to the sink. Then he shuffled back to his room, still feeling awake. Taichi sat on the edge of the bed and looked around. The phone on his desk caught his attention. He found himself wondering what Yamato was doing. Giving into the urge, he pressed the speed dial button for Yamato's number. It rang five times before a groggy voice answered, "Hullo?"  
  
"Hi, it's Taichi," he replied cheerfully.  
  
"Taichi," Yamato groaned in disbelief. "Why did you call me?"  
  
"Well, I was thinking of you so I decided to call you," Taichi answered truthfully.  
  
"You called me up at one o'clock in the morning to tell me you were thinking about me," Yamato demanded incredulously. "And you don't find that odd?"  
  
"Well, .. when you put it that way it does sound strange," Taichi admitted ruefully. He rubbed the back of his neck. "But it seemed like a good idea at the time!"  
  
"Goodnight, Taichi," Yamato said with a weary sigh. "Pleasant dreams."  
  
"You, too," Taichi replied. "'Night!"  
  
Both boys slowly hung up their phones, then stared at them for awhile. It was almost like the phones themselves were a connection to the other, the person who haunted them. Thoughts of the next day intruded. The two boys settled back down under their covers in their separate rooms, plotting ways to accomplish their goals. Neither noticed how tired they were. And although neither knew it, this time they visited the land of dreams together. 


End file.
